


Time To Wake Up

by swv



Category: Blink-182
Genre: Falling In Love, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-29 16:51:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10858116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swv/pseuds/swv
Summary: Mark has decided to confess his love to Matt, but these things never go as planned.AU without significant other(s)!(I suck at summaries. Again.)





	Time To Wake Up

**Author's Note:**

> Although names and looks are based on real life people, this story is purely fiction. I don't claim any ownership over anyone and I don't make money out of this.
> 
> Thank you to my primary beta who once again did this possible to read; without you this would just be an unintelligible collection of words! ♡ (I'm starting to think I might overwork you with all my questions~)  
> And thank you to my second beta (can you guys believe how lucky I am?) who checked all the grammar one last time. Because not one of us speak English as first language, so, yeah...

Mark was at home late one night when he realized that he had a problem. He didn’t know when it had started to be a problem, the shifting from non-problem to problem was unclear. He was at least sure it had started some time after Matt had joined the band, suddenly his very good friend was everywhere and Mark hadn’t found it anywhere as bothersome as it could have been if it had been anyone else.

 

Absentmindedly he sat down at the edge of his bed and thought about how the relationship had changed; he had found himself longing for Matt’s company when he wasn’t around. He found himself in the middle of the night about to call him but changing his mind, not wanting to disturb Matt if he was asleep. And the texting; it had escalated from a couple of texts a week to several times a day and when Matt didn’t answer right away Mark found himself reading the last texts over and over, wondering if he had offended him in any way.

 

His heart raced at the memory and it was not something he was particularly eager to admit to himself but it was easy for anyone to see; Mark had started acting like a teen around Matt and it was beginning to be a problem. So there he was, trying to find out why their relationship had changed the way it had, and with an uncertain amount of dread he realized that maybe, just _maybe_ , he didn’t want to be just friends with Matt anymore. Maybe, somewhere along the line, he had fallen for his friend.

 

That realization had put a halt to all of Mark’s further thoughts on the subject and he got up from the edge of the bed, needing to be in motion to dispel his thoughts. It couldn’t, and wouldn’t, be right; he was not starting to fall in love with his friend. His very handsome friend. With those tattoos that he wanted to trace with his tongue and… _No!_ He rubbed his palms over his eyes; he was _not_ in love with Matt.

 

After that little mental exercise he had started to avoid Matt to the point where both he and Travis had asked him what was going on. He had just shrugged it off as stress to his friends and made a mental note to start avoiding Travis as well, to throw them off a bit. But being in a band together didn’t allow for not talking with one another and he _had_ to figure out another way to hide those thoughts.

 

Now he was back on the edge of his bed and he thought he had done a good job ignoring his problems for a good two months but his thoughts had gained strength and it became harder and harder to not think of Matt.

 

What would it mean to acknowledge his thoughts, just to himself? There wasn’t anything wrong in finding another adult man attractive after all, maybe he could start acting a bit more normal to his friends again. But what if he slipped up and Matt found out? Would that be bad and could they recover their friendship after that?

 

This band had enough line up changes over the years, both he and Travis had agreed on that and he couldn’t do anything to make this harder on any of them.

 

However, the thoughts were there and he couldn’t pretend like they weren’t anymore; just walking into a soundcheck, seeing Matt smile as he looked at him made his heart flutter like he was sixteen again. When his phone received a new message he had almost dropped it in the toilet on several occasions in his haste to see if it was Matt who sent him a message. And the disappointment of it not being him, it twisted his stomach just as much every time.

 

He fell back on the bed and realized that he could not lie about this to himself anymore, the truth was plain as day; he had fallen in love with Matt Skiba, without realizing it. And it felt so good to finally say it, even if only to himself. For good measure, he got up once more and looked at himself in the mirror on the bedroom wall, tasting the words.

 

“I _love_ Matt Skiba.”

 

He didn’t change; he was still the same awesome bassist as ever. No horns grew out on his head, his eyes didn’t turn heart shaped and just maybe he could live with this secret. He felt at ease as he fell asleep that night.

 

The next time they met he felt that he was more confident in their interactions again, he was back to being the same old friend and band member. He even started texting Matt late at night again.

 

But his heart was a traitorous ally and once given the permission to love it wanted to share that love with the object of its affections. Mark found himself being way too suggestive to just be casual friends. His texts had undertones, that maybe wasn’t that discreet, that made him blush hours after he sent them. And Mark Hoppus was _not_ one to blush. Mark let his eyes linger on Matt’s every move, his eagerness to touch as often as he could possibly get away with it.

 

Travis must have noticed something as well because whenever they all were in a room at the same time he kept giving Mark sideway glances, almost as if he was wondering what Mark would do next. Mark had chosen to ignore his friend’s looks, it wasn’t like he would know what really went on in Mark’s head anyway. He was certain that his poker face was at least that good.

 

Matt didn’t seem to notice anything different at all and that calmed Mark down further but at the same time it made him frustrated. He almost wanted Matt to figure out the state of his heart by mistake and put him out of his misery by confronting him. At least then this pain in his chest would be over and done with.

 

And that last thought stayed with Mark; maybe it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he actually did confess these new feeling to his friend? Matt was an open and respectful person, it wasn’t like he would be resentful or disgusted by it. That wasn’t even a problem, Mark _knew_ what a great person Matt was. But the prospect of baring his heart to him and making himself vulnerable made Mark feel like he couldn’t breathe.

 

Several weeks passed before he made up his mind and finally found the courage to call Matt. He had decided it would be better to do this over the phone, that way he wouldn’t stand there all nervous and guilt tripping Matt while waiting for an answer. And Matt wouldn’t have to look into his eyes while declining his confession. It would be better for everyone involved.

 

He was once again in his bedroom, on the edge of his bed as the night cast its shadows around the room. He hastily swiped through his contacts til he found Matt and pressed _call_ before he would lose his courage. Just the dial tone made his stomach turn in a way that made him worry about throwing up during the call. He hadn’t been this nervous in _years_.

 

Finally he heard the phone being picked up and before Matt had time to say anything Mark stopped him. “Wait, don’t say anything, just…” He took a long, slightly shaky breath and closed his eyes. “Just let me talk now because I don’t think I can continue if you interrupt me.”

 

He waited with his eyes closed so hard he saw stars behind his eyelids, holding his breath another second before realizing that Matt wasn’t gonna interrupt him.

 

“I just needed to say… I want you to know…” Nothing sounded as good as it had in his head before, when he practiced this in front of the mirror. “I’m so happy that you wanted to join the band and I know that we have been friends for a long time but lately I’ve been acting different towards you and I think you’ve noticed.”

 

His heart had started to pump so hard that he could hear his pulse in his ears. He hoped he wouldn’t faint; what a spectacle if he did!

 

“I started to notice you in a different way from before; the way your smile reaches your eyes and make them sparkle, the sound of your voice. I never knew I could feel like _this_ about another person, that you would make me want to do anything for you.” He took a last breath, realizing that he wouldn’t regret this even if he was turned down “What I’m trying to say is… Matt, I love you.”

 

It was completely silent for another couple of seconds and, even if Mark had choose to do this over the phone so that Matt would have the power over the conversation after his confession, he thought that maybe he should let Matt know that he was done and that he was allowed to talk. But then he heard a low laugh through the phone.

 

At first his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach, he had never thought that Matt would make fun of him over this but maybe he had put him on a pedestal. Still, something didn’t seem right, it was almost as if… His voice was different. Perplexed, Mark removed the phone from his ear and looked at his screen.

 

 _Travis_.

 

Without hesitation he ended the call and his only consolation was that at least his little crush wouldn’t be all over the internet in the morning. But how could he be so stupid that he didn’t look at his phone one last time before pouring his heart out?

 

After several minutes he had an incoming call, it was Travis again and he sounded out of breath, as if he had laughed all those long minutes Mark had cursed himself for being so careless with his confession.

 

“Dude, you really have to work on how you do this shit.” Travis said and started laughing again. “That was so... _Bad_! Yeah, I don’t have another word for it.”

 

“Yeah, it probably would have been more romantic if the right person heard it.” Mark murmured sourly.

 

“No, it wouldn’t be.” Travis said, he had finally stopped laughing but Mark could still hear him grin at him. “You need to work on that. You need any help?”

 

Mark declined the offer and hung up again before Travis would taunt him further. The shame burned in him and all he wanted to do was lie down and die. Instead he went to bed and prayed that Travis would keep his mouth shut. After a lot of tossing and turning he finally fell asleep.

 

Mark groggily opened his eyes, not sure what had woken him up. He heard a sound that he couldn’t place straight away, but soon recognizing it as his ringtone. Before he was awake enough to think properly, let alone answer the phone, it stopped ringing.

 

He looked at his phone and saw that Matt was the one who had called, which was strange since he saw that the time was 2:35 am. Matt was not one to call in the middle of the night for no reason. Before he could think further about it, Matt called again. Mark answered on the first ring, worrying that something had happened. Pictures of Travis in the hospital after the flight crash quickly flashing before his eyes. “Yeah?” There was a silence that had him on edge.

 

“Mark?” The basist listened intently for any indication of something being wrong, but only heard Matt’s voice, a bit huskier than what it usually sounded like. There was a tense silence and Mark hummed his answer while waiting for what was to come. “So, Travis called me.”

 

Mark felt his stomach drop; Travis couldn't have done what Mark started to dread he had done.

 

“He told me what happened, like, he really thought you needed help and all that.”

 

 _Fuck_.

 

Mark took a deep breath, desperately trying to think of a way to save face, but to no avail. This was _not_ how he wanted Matt to find out. “Umm, yeah, I… I actually don’t know what to say to that.” He hid his face behind his hands, wanting to sink through the bed.

 

He could hear Matt snicker on the other end of the line. “So, it’s true then?”

 

“Yeah, sorry you had to hear about it like that.”

 

Now he could hear Matt laugh; a short, husky laugh. “Too bad you didn’t dial the right number.” Mark sat up so fast that his vision blurred, where was the guitarist going with this? Matt continued in an almost thoughtful tone. “Yeah, too bad, because I kinda wanna give you a chance.”

 

“Wait, what?” Mark almost choked and had to remove the phone from his ear to make sure that he was talking to Matt; he was _not_ gonna make the same mistake twice in one night.

 

“Yeah.” Matt almost sounded coy, he could imagine the faint smile over his very kissable lips. “I mean, you’re a really good friend and...” _Friend._ Mark’s heart plummeted into his stomach, this emotional roller coaster Matt was taking him on was too much for him to handle. “And I guess that if you feel that way about me I owe it to you to give it a shot.”

 

Mark had to lie down, looking up at the ceiling to take in what Matt was telling him. Was this really happening? “You’re not shitting me, are you? Because, if you are, I _will_ kill you.”

 

“How about I come over and show you how serious I am?” Matt muttered coyly, making Mark’s spine tingle.

 

“You’d like that wouldn’t you?” Mark laughed and stretched out in the bed, it was like a weight lifted off his chest. Not even in his wildest imagination could he have imagined this to go so well, although Travis had interfered. “Seriously though, you want to do something tomorrow?”

 

A long pause stretched between them and Mark hoped it was a good silence. “I know!” Matt finally broke the silence and a smile was evident in his voice. “I’ll come pick you up at 5 am, be ready for me.”

 

“Oh?”

 

He heard Matt moving, a door closing and keys rustling against each other. “I’ll have to fix some things, but I’ll be there to pick you up and we’ll watch our first sunrise, and if that’s a bust we can go grab something to eat. Just don’t expect me to be the Lady to your Tramp.”

 

Mark had to laugh out loud at that. Fuck, he loved that man.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave thoughts and love in the comment field below.


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